KEY POINTS
- Nigeria experiences a daily loss of more than 400,000 barrels of crude oil due to stealing activities.
- Weak governance, poverty, and poor enforcement fuel resource sabotage.
- Achieving sustainable security requires both community partnerships along with necessary reforms to reach this goal.
Etsako East Local Government Area Chairperson Princess Benedicta Attoh reports that Nigeria suffers the permanent loss of more than 400,000 barrels of crude daily through theft accounts.
At a conference conducted by the Centre for Sustainable Development at Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun during its 4th anniversary the Chairperson Princess Benedicta Attoh revealed Nigeria endures daily losses of over 400,000 barrels of crude oil to theft and vandalism of pipelines along with illegal mining activities that deplete national wealth and damage natural ecosystems severely.
During our interview Princess Benedicta Attoh explained that illegal oil theft in Nigeria surpasses the output capacity of several energy-producing countries.
Through his explanation Attoh showed how damaged pipelines caused by vandalism create enormous oil spills which poison water and ruin ecosystems and damage wildlife populations and further additional damaging effects come from unlawful mining operations that destroy forests and degrade land surfaces.
According to her the current situation becomes worse due to the combination of poverty levels with restricted economic possibilities together with weak infrastructure and disputes with oil companies and governmental corruption along with inadequate security enforcement.
The poor governance along with external manipulation help intensify problems
Attoh explained how international entities exploit poor governance systems which exist within Nigeria’s mineral sector. The offshoot of insufficient monitoring technology combined with official corruption and region-united efforts caused the escalating oil theft situation according to her analysis.
She attacks the weak execution of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) because she blames leading individuals who maintain ongoing instability while stopping productive reforms.
The responsibility to secure the extractive sectors requires collective involvement beyond governmental authority according to Attoh. The activist advocated open bureaucratic practices coupled with diverse stakeholder collaborations together with quick steps to combat youth poverty and implement better surveillance methods and community law enforcement.
Call for community engagement and urgent action to stop Nigeria oil theft
Professor Attoh explained that primary responsibility for safeguarding critical oil infrastructure belongs to people who reside in extraction areas. The members of an oil community understand their facilities better than any external defender so she recommended incentives for people who notify authorities about suspicious activities.
Her presentation focused on emphasizing that resolving the root factors behind oil theft would enable extractive industries to become major forces driving sustainable development and lasting peace while creating prosperity in Nigeria.
